almaviva award write up

BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH


Contents

Letter of Congratulations ............................................................................................. 3

Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 5

Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 5

Customer Value Excellence and Visionary Innovation of AlmavivA .............................. 5

Conclusion........................................................................................................... 7

Significance of Company of the Year ............................................................................. 8

What It Means To Be Company of the Year .................................................................... 9

Frost & Sullivan’s Global Research Platform ................................................................. 10

Key Benchmarking Criteria ........................................................................................ 10

The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11

Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11

Decision Support Scorecard and Matrix ................................................................. 11

Best Practice Award Analysis for AlmavivA ................................................................... 12

Decision Support Scorecard: Customer Value Excellence ......................................... 12

Decision Support Scorecard: Visionary Innovation .................................................. 13

Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 14

Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices ................................................................................................................. 15

Impact of Company of the Year Award on Key Stakeholders .......................................... 16

About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 16

Disclaimer ............................................................................................................... 16


Letter of Congratulations

Dear Valeria,

We are proud to present you with this year’s award for Company of the Year in the

Contact Center Outsourcing Services industry.

You may be wondering how we chose you. The answer is that we sent out a team of Frost

& Sullivan analysts and industry experts on a global hunt for companies that met two key

criteria in equal measure: Customer Value Excellence and Visionary Innovation. Put

another way, we were searching for companies that not only had a vision for a high-

quality total customer experience, but used those insights to achieve growth above the

industry average. We asked our global network of consultants and analysts to monitor,

screen, and analyze creative practices within their regions. We spoke to industry peers.

We vetted our findings with an independent Board of Directors. At the end of our process,

one company stood out from the rest, and that company was yours. (For more on our

methodology, please see page 11.)

To achieve a title like Company of the Year would never be an easy task, but it is one

made even more difficult due to today’s competitive intensity, customer volatility, and

economic uncertainty—not to mention the difficulty of innovating in an environment of

escalating challenges to intellectual property. Within this context, your receipt of this

award signifies an even greater accomplishment.

Moreover, we recognize that your receipt of this award is the result of many individuals

(employees, customers, and investors) making daily choices to believe in the organization

and contribute in a meaningful way to its future. We believe that such an achievement

should be acknowledged and celebrated.

We are therefore proud to bestow this award upon AlmavivA, and we hope you use this

award as a platform for strengthening your brand, building awareness among new and

existing customers, and inspiring your team to even greater levels of performance.

Once again, we congratulate you on your achievements and wish you great success in the

future. We are here to support you on any future endeavors.

Sincerely yours,

David Frigstad

Chairman

Frost & Sullivan


Background and Company Performance

Industry Challenges

The contact center outsourcing services market in Brazil faces a number of challenges

today. The existing regulations are not clearly defined for the outsourcing market,

therefore inhibiting investments as contractors are not certain which activities are legal

and which are not.

On the other hand, given the saturation of sites present in metropolises such as São Paulo

and Rio de Janeiro, there is a high turnover of the labor force. Workers in these areas are

always searching for better wages and working conditions, which raises costs for

companies.

The main outsourcer providers are starting to shift the way they position contact center

services, migrating from the goal of cost reduction to the provision of specialized and

high-quality services. This will attract customers that understand the real need for

outsourced services, that genuinely care about their clients’ experience, and that therefore

perceive the importance of having a specialized 3rd party deliver that experience.

Customer Value Excellence and Visionary Innovation of AlmavivA

Total Customer Experience

AlmavivA do Brasil (AlmavivA) is a part of the AlmavivA Group, headquartered in Italy,

where it is a leading provider of information and communication technology solutions,

CRM services, and consulting and knowledge management services in many different

sectors.

AlmavivA’s strategic view (technology integrated with process) combines best employee

experience (people-centered applications), a 360-degree view voice of the customer

through all channels (Big Data analytics) and new technology-enabled processes (for

trainings and claims), which together result in a significant customer experience

improvement.

The new service and technology mix focus of AlmavivA in the Brazilian market leads to a

new customer experience as well as an employee experience improvement. Almawave do

Brasil was founded in 2010, bringing with it knowledge acquired in the European market.

The aim of this company was to become the leading vendor of people-centered

technologies (solutions that focus on providing a more efficient and qualified process of

customer interaction and knowledge management) in the Brazilian market.

Almawave enabling technologies allow a natural language-based interaction, whereby

operators can execute their activities at work in a much easier way, leading to a better

customer experience and improved customer attention. In addition, users enjoy the

capability to provide the right answers to the expressed customer needs and requirements

(people-centered applications).


Moreover, speech analytics, fully integrated with enhanced customer relationship

management (CRM) models, allows the implementation of new processes for the delivery

of more caring and quality-focused customer and end-user services. For instance, within

claim and critical issue management, it is possible to identify whether or not the customer

is considering going to the ruling authority (Anatel and/or Procon).

Such speech analytics and CRM tools can additionally make training processes easier by

providing a clear view of all the strengths and weaknesses of the agents, thus facilitating

one-to-one counteractions.

Last, but not least, the multi-channel, concept-based operating room enables customers

to have an exhaustive, clear, and up-to-date view of what is going on over any and all

contact channels. It allows detecting not only known occurrences but also emerging issues

in order to promptly react to and intervene in offers, technical issues, claims, and critical

issues.

Product/Service Value

AlmavivA’s technology portfolio (Almawave platforms) has been awarded and

acknowledged on an international scale and was greatly responsible for the company’s

great performance during 2013.

AlmavivA offers a unique technological solution portfolio that competes with key global

technology vendors. More specifically, driven by the expertise of the Almawave Group

Company and by investing in highly advanced technologies and methodologies, such as

automatic speech recognition, semantics, statistics, business process management, and

Big Data analytics, AlmavivA has created an applications portfolio─ called the Iride

Customer-Centric Suite─ that is unique in the market, enabling a customer-experience

paradigm change across all industries.

AlmavivA can therefore implement enhanced speech analytics solutions and unique CRM

models, continuously strengthening its position in the Brazilian market.

Service Experience

The quality of the service is one of the most important market drivers helping AlmavivA

gain market share and credibility in the Brazilian contact center outsourcing industry.

AlmavivA do Brasil capitalized on AlmavivA Group’s best practices and technological

innovation, along with the quality of its managerial team and its strong attention to client

needs, to offer a high-quality service and gain market share.

This is a mix of qualities that has enabled and continues to enable AlmavivA to consolidate

its positioning on its existing clients, add new clients, and maintain profitability in its

business each year. That is one important driver for AlmavivA to continue investing in

people and innovation for its clients.

One other important factor that makes AlmavivA unique is its short decisional process.

This is made possible by the strong presence of its entrepreneurship, which enables the

company to move fast, react swiftly to each opportunity, and recover from critical issues.


The experience acquired by AlmavivA Group in the mature European market enables

AlmavivA do Brasil to be more efficient and to set up process streamlining that other

competitors in the Brazilian market have not been able to provide in the same way.

Use of Mega Trends

The greatest differentiator that separates AlmavivA from its competitors, which has also

acted as the primary catalyst for the company’s penetration in the Brazilian market in

2013, is its well-planned strategy to always focus on the market’s latest and future trends.

AlmavivA’s strategy embraces many of the information and communication technology

market’s current Mega Trends, such as Big Data (customized and real-time products and

services), social analytics, and, in the case of Brazil, decentralization of contact center

sites along with a focus on offering more higher quality services, rather than lower cost

services.

The technology provided by Almawave offers people-centered applications such as speech,

Big Data, and multichannel analytics, which are in line with all of the latest Mega Trends

found in the Brazilian contact center outsourcing market. Together, the company works

with an effort to provide both a better working environment for its employees and,

consequently, a better experience for customers.

Given that the 2 main challenges faced by this market today are the high turnover rate

among agents and the reputation of outsourcing companies for offering low-cost services,

AlmavivA has clearly established a unique and well-planned strategy. This is based on its

experience in Europe and on the Brazilian market’s current scenario.

Pioneering Best Practices

AlmavivA provides its employees with an extensive program of integration and skills

development. Its project Crescer allows its current employees to develop their skills and

capabilities within the company, which in turn helps them in building successful careers.

They are also provided with the flexibility to move among different segments if they wish

to do so.

Also, 3 other programs (Potential Supervisors Program, Supervisors Development

Program, and the Passport of Knowledge) are offered by AlmavivA with the intent to

promote internal development among employees in different departments who stand out

in terms of performance and commitment.

Benefits such as restaurant services, a nursery, health and dental care plans, life

insurance, transportation, labor gymnastics, massage, as well as its association with

cultural, commercial, and educational establishments, are a great best practices

differentiator for the company that sets it apart from its competitors. AlmavivA also

provides childcare aid to its employees. These benefits are also important to both agents

and supervisors, who in turn are motivated to provide high-quality services to end users.

Such employee benefits also help reduce the high turnover level currently found in Brazil.


Aspirational Ideals

In 2013, AlmavivA grew by 50% of its 2012 revenue, and it plans to plans to see the

same level of growth at the end of 2014. This estimate is backed by its strategy that

focuses on:

• Strong entrepreneur leadership

• Managing capability

• Implementation speed

• Quality and efficiency of the services provided

• Economic competitiveness

• Ability to implement a distinguished technological paradigm, in comparison to other

competitors, driven by its Almawave proprietary technology

• Strong investment in innovation

AlmavivA has grown significantly across different industries, such as telecommunications,

media, banking, and insurance, in terms of both consolidated and new clients.

Conclusion

In 2013, AlmavivA displayed unmatched growth strategy excellence in the Brazilian

contact center outsourcing market. The technologies combined with the processes

employed by the company were responsible for the improvement in both employee and

customer experiences, which consequently led to the company’s achieving a growth rate

of more than 50% in 2013. Almawave’s enabling technologies provide employees with

people-centered, easy-to-use applications. Furthermore, a 360-degree voice of the

customer through every channel available (enabled by Big Data analytics) facilitate

training processes. With a large operations’ implementation capability, AlmavivA achieved

extraordinary growth in 2013 across different industries (telecommunications, media,

banking, insurance) and also achieved success in the consolidation of its presence among

existing and new customers. Considering these accomplishments, AlmavivA has been

chosen as the worthy recipient of the 2014 Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award in

the Brazilian contact center outsourcing market

.


Significance of Company of the Year

To win an award like Company of the Year – to be recognized as a leader not only in your

industry, but among your non-industry peers as well – requires a company to demonstrate

excellence in three key areas: demand generation, brand development, and competitive

positioning. These areas serve as the foundation of a company’s future success and

prepare it to deliver on the two criteria that define the Company of the Year Award

(Customer Value Excellence and Visionary Innovation). This concept is explored further

below.


What It Means To Be Company of the Year

As discussed on the previous page, demand forecasting, branding, and differentiation all

play a critical role in delivering unique value to customers. This three-fold focus,

however, is only the beginning of the journey and must be complemented by an equally

rigorous focus on the customer experience. Best-practice organizations therefore commit

to the customer at each stage of the buying cycle and continue to nurture the relationship

once the customer has made a purchase. To accomplish this goal, successful organizations

never stop innovating around their products, their service model, or their marketing.

Creativity brings about customer value excellence, and customer value excellence

reinforces the spirit of creativity.

To achieve and sustain such a standard is a rare and significant accomplishment, and that

is why we celebrate it with the Company of the Year award. Recipients of this award

represent the top 10 percent of their industry: the other 90 percent just can’t keep up.


Frost & Sullivan’s Global Research Platform

Frost & Sullivan maintains more than 50 years in business and is a global research

organization of 1,800 analysts and consultants who monitor more than 300 industries and

250,000 companies. The Company’s research philosophy originates with the CEO’s 360

Degree Perspective, a holistic research methodology that encourages us to consider

growth challenges, and the solutions companies employ to solve them, from every angle.

This unique approach enables us to determine how best-in-class companies worldwide

manage growth, innovation and leadership. Based on the results of our research in

entrepreneurial excellence, Frost & Sullivan is proud to present the 2014 Brazil Company

of the Year Award in the Contact Center Outsourcing Market to AlmavivA.

Key Benchmarking Criteria

For the Company of the Year Award, we evaluated the total client experience and strategy

implementation excellence according to the criteria detailed below.

Customer Value Excellence

Criterion 1: Total Customer Experience

Criterion 2: Product/Service Value

Criterion 3: Purchase Experience

Criterion 4: Ownership Experience

Criterion 5: Service Experience

Visionary Innovation

Criterion 1: Unmet Needs

Criterion 2: Use of Mega Trends

Criterion 3: Pioneering Best Practices

Criterion 4: Blue Ocean Strategy

Criterion 5: Aspirational Ideals


The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best

Practices Awards

Research Methodology

Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research

methodology represents the analytical

rigor of our research process. It offers a

360-degree-view of industry challenges,

trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of

Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies.

Too often, companies make important

growth decisions based on a narrow

understanding of their environment,

leading to errors of both omission and

commission. Successful growth strategies

are founded on a thorough understanding

of market, technical, economic, financial,

customer, best practices, and demographic

analyses. The integration of these research

disciplines into the 360-degree research

methodology provides an evaluation

platform for benchmarking industry players and for identifying those performing at best-

in-class levels.

Decision Support Scorecard and Matrix

To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance

categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard and Matrix.

This analytical tool compares companies’ performance relative to each other. It features

criteria unique to each award category and ranks importance by assigning weights to each

criterion. The relative weighting reflects current market conditions and illustrates the

associated importance of each criterion according to Frost & Sullivan. This tool allows our

research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to each

criterion, and to assign ratings on that basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows

for nuances in performance evaluation; ratings guidelines are illustrated below.

360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN

THE CHAOS


Best Practice Award Analysis for AlmavivA

Decision Support Scorecard: Customer Value Excellence

The Decision Support Scorecard, shown below, includes all performance criteria listed on

page 7 and illustrates the relative importance of each criterion and the ratings for each

company under evaluation for the Company of the Year Award. The research team

confirms the veracity of the model by ensuring that small changes to the ratings for a

specific criterion do not lead to a significant change in the overall relative rankings of the

companies.

Finally, to remain unbiased and to protect the interests of all organizations reviewed, we

have chosen to refer to the other key players in as Company 2 and Company 3.

DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD (ILLUSTRATIVE):

CUSTOMER VALUE EXCELLENCE

Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)

Award Criteria

Customer Value Excellence Tota

l Custo

mer

Experi

ence

Pro

duct/

Serv

ice

Valu

e

Purc

hase

Experi

ence

Ow

ners

hip

Experi

ence

Serv

ice E

xperience

Weig

hte

d R

ati

ng

Relative Weight (%) 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 100%

AlmavivA 9.5 9.5 8.5 8.5 9 9

Company 2 8.5 8.5 8.5 8 9 8.5

Company 3 8 8.5 8.5 8 8.5 8.3

Criterion 1: Total Customer Experience

Requirement: Customers receive exceptional impression at every stage of the purchase

cycle

Criterion 2: Product/Service Value

Requirement: Products or services offer the best value for the price, compared to similar

offerings in the market

Criterion 3: Purchase Experience

Requirement: It is as simple for salespeople to sell the product or service as it is for the

customer to buy the product or service

Criterion 4: Ownership Experience

Requirement: Customers are proud to own and use the company’s product or service

Criterion 5: Service Experience

Requirement: Customer service is accessible, fast, and stress-free


Decision Support Scorecard: Visionary Innovation

DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR COMPANY OF THE YEAR AWARD (ILLUSTRATIVE):

VISIONARY INNOVATION

Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)

Award Criteria

Visionary Innovation Unm

et

Needs

Use o

f M

ega

Tre

nds

Pio

neering B

est

Pra

ctices

Blu

e O

cean

Str

ate

gy

Aspirational Id

eals

Weig

hte

d R

ati

ng

Relative Weight (%) 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 100%

AlmavivA 8.5 9.5 9.5 9 9 9.1

Company 2 8.7 9 8.5 8 9 8.6

Company 3 8 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.4

Criterion 1: Unmet Needs

Requirement: A clear understanding of customers’ desired outcomes, the products that

currently help them achieve those outcomes, and where key gaps may exist

Criterion 2: Use of Mega Trends

Requirement: Ability to incorporate long-range, macro-level scenarios into strategic plans,

thereby anticipating and preparing for multiple futures that could occur

Criterion 3: Pioneering Best Practices

Requirement: A nothing-ventured-nothing-gained approach to strategy implementation

that results in processes, tools, or activities that generate a consistent and repeatable

level of success.

Criterion 4: Blue Ocean Strategy

Requirement: Proven track record of creating new demand in an uncontested market

space, rendering the competition obsolete

Criterion 5: Aspirational Ideals

Requirement: A willingness to look beyond the simple goal of generating a profit to

embrace a more powerful ideal of bringing greater value to customers or the planet


Decision Support Matrix

Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard,

analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to

visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which are not yet operating at best-

in-class levels.


Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching,

Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices

Our awards team follows a team 10-step process (illustrated below) to evaluate award

candidates and assess their fit with our best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity

of our awards process are based on close adherence to this process.

STEP OBJECTIVE KEY ACTIVITIES OUTPUT

1 Monitor, target, and screen

Identify award recipient candidates from around the globe

Conduct in-depth industry research

Identify emerging sectors Scan multiple geographies

Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all best-practice criteria

2 Perform 360-degree research

Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline

Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners

Assess candidates’ fit with best-practice criteria

Rank all candidates

Matrix positioning all candidates’ performance relative to one another

3

Invite thought leadership in best practices

Perform in-depth examination of all candidates

Confirm best-practice criteria Examine eligibility of all

candidates Identify any information gaps

Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates

4

Initiate research director review

Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles

Brainstorm ranking options Invite multiple perspectives

on candidates’ performance Update candidate profiles

Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper

5

Assemble panel of industry experts

Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders

Share findings Strengthen cases for

candidate eligibility Prioritize candidates

Refined list of prioritized award candidates

6

Conduct global industry review

Build consensus on award candidates’ eligibility

Hold global team meeting to review all candidates

Pressure-test fit with criteria Confirm inclusion of all

eligible candidates

Final list of eligible award candidates, representing success stories worldwide

7 Perform quality check

Develop official award consideration materials

Perform final performance benchmarking activities

Write nominations Perform quality review

High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees’ successes

8 Assemble

board of advisors

Finalize the selection of the best-practice award recipient

Present candidates to a Board of Advisors

Build consensus Select winner

Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria

9 Communicate recognition

Inform award recipient of award recognition

Present award to the CEO Inspire the organization for

continued success Celebrate the recipient’s

performance

Announcement of award and plan for how recipient can use the award to enhance the brand

10 Take strategic action

Share award news with stakeholders and customers

Coordinate media outreach Design a marketing plan Assess award’s role in future

strategic planning

Widespread awareness of recipient’s award status among investors, media personnel, and employees


Impact of Company of the Year Award on Key Stakeholders

The Company of the Year Award recognizes AlmavivA’s accomplishments in contact center

outsourcing. Unbiased, third-party recognition can help enhance credibility and brand

value, thereby supporting AlmavivA’s standing in the market. By researching, ranking, and

recognizing those who define excellence in their respective endeavors, Frost & Sullivan

hopes to inspire and influence the following three constituencies:

Investors

Investors and shareholders always welcome

impartial third-party recognition. Similarly,

prospective investors and shareholders are

drawn to companies with a well-established

reputation for excellence. Unbiased validation

is a highly credible way to showcase an

organization worthy of investment.

Customers

Third-party validation can help assure

prospective customers of a company’s value

and reputation. It can also help lower the

level of risk that a customer may feel in

engaging for the first time with an

organization.

Employees

This Award represents the creativity and dedication of AlmavivA’s executive team and

employees. Such public recognition can boost morale and inspire your team to continue its

pursuit of excellence in customer value for AlmavivA.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth

and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's

Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined

research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation

of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages almost 50 years of experience in

partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment

community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit

http://www.frost.com.

BEST PRACTICES LEVERAGE FOR

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Disclaimer

Quantitative market information is based primarily on interviews and therefore is subject

to fluctuation. Frost & Sullivan is not responsible for incorrect information supplied to us

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